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VATICAN CITY — As cardinals move to elect a new pope, the Vatican has seemed intent on getting people to forget the last one.

Benedict XVI's papacy ended last month with an act of great symbolism: Swiss Guards banged shut the giant doors of the papal palace in Castel Gandolfo at the strike of 8 p.m. Since then, Benedict has literally been kept out of sight, part of a calculated strategy to show he will play no role in selecting his successor.

The emeritus pope has only been spotted once since retiring — in a photo snapped by a paparazzo hiding in a tree.